The Goalkeeper Who Slept Outside His Club

Alireza Beiranvand grew up in Sarabias, in western Iran. From early on he wanted to be a professional footballer, and at the age of 12 he left his family home to chase that goal in the capital, Tehran. He later became known around the world as Iran's goalkeeper, but the start of his journey was far from easy.

On the bus to Tehran he met a coach who agreed to train him if he paid a fee. He arrived with no money and nowhere to live. At first he slept on the city's streets and outside the club where he trained.

To pay for his training and support himself, he took on several kinds of work. He washed cars, cleaned streets and delivered pizzas. The reports do not list how many years he spent in this situation.

He moved up through the ranks of Iranian football, and in 2015 became the national team's first-choice goalkeeper. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, aged 25, he saved a penalty taken by Cristiano Ronaldo in Iran's match against Portugal. Fans across social media responded warmly, with one user writing that the performance showed dreams do come true if we work hard for them, and many saw in his story a reason to keep believing in their own.